WO2023041914A1

WO2023041914A1 - A mobile phone case

Info

Publication number: WO2023041914A1
Application number: PCT/GB2022/052335
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henry Alistair Calum PROUT; Frank YUAN; Thomas Richard HOWARD
Original assignee: Tech 21 Licensing Limited
Priority date: 2021-09-15
Filing date: 2022-09-15
Publication date: 2023-03-23
Also published as: GB202113178D0; GB2611023A

Abstract

A mobile phone case having a one piece rigid frame (2) forming a rear wall of the case. The frame (2) is wider towards the top and bottom such that the frame (2) extends to the corners of the rear wall. An upstanding rib (4) extends from the periphery of the rigid frame (2). A side wall portion (3) of a softer material is over-moulded onto the frame up to the rib (4) such that the sidewall portion (3) forms the side walls and extends partially across the rear wall to the narrower central portion. A slidable two-part lens cover 21,22 may be provided. The case has two pairs of indents (40), (41) so that it can engage in a holster (50) in different orientations.

Description

A MOBILE PHONE CASE

The present invention relates to a mobile phone case.

A popular category of phone cases are heavy duty cases which provide greater protection for the mobile phone than the standard cases.

A challenge with such heavy duty cases is to provide a higher degree of protection for the mobile phone without unduly increasing the bulk of the case.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is a provided a mobile phone case according to claim 1 .

The one piece rigid frame made from a harder material than the side wall portion and with its peripheral upstanding rib effectively forms a rigid chassis for the case. As the frame with the rib extends to the corners of the rear wall, this provides enhanced impact protection in the corners of the case as the frame offers enhanced dissipation of any force impacting on the corners of the case. In the narrower central portion, the rib does not extend as close to the periphery of the rear wall. However, it is highly unlikely that the initial impact on the case will be primarily transmitted through this region. Instead, in this region, the sidewall portion extends to a greater extent across the rear wall. This allows the softer material to provide a better tactile feel for the user, and also allow this portion of the case to be more rounded again improving the feel of the case as it feels less bulky than it would if the rib were closer to the edge of the central portion.

The fact that the side wall portion extends to the upstanding rib of the frame, allows for this enhanced rigidity and impact protection to be achieved without unduly increasing the bulk of the case and, at the same time, provides a relatively low profile feel for the case.

The part of the rigid frame within the upstanding rib can be made particularly thin. This is because the rigidity of the frame is mostly provided by the rib. Further, this area does not need to provide a high level of impact protection. This allows significant weight reduction to be achieved for the case, as well as allowing the possibility that the mobile phone can still be charged on a wireless charger. This is often not possible in heavy duty cases where the thickness of the material on the rear wall is too large for successful wireless charging. Preferably, the thickness of the thinnest part of the rigid frame forming the rear wall away from the rib is less than half of the thickest part of the frame where the rib is present.

Preferably, the frame comprises an opening for a camera on the mobile phone. In this case, the frame may further comprise an upstanding rib extending across the rigid frame to surround the aperture and form a recess for a lens cover.

Preferably, further impact protection can be provided if the side wall portion has a lining of an impact adsorbing material. This impact adsorbing material preferably has inwardly projecting ribs for further impact protection.

As well as providing enhanced impact protection, it is preferable that a heavy duty case is also able to provide protection for the camera lenses on the mobile phone. With modern mobile phone devices, the cluster of lenses, sensors and lights on the rear face is increasingly large making the protection of this area of the phone difficult to achieve in a manner which does not unduly increase the bulk of the case.

The one piece rigid frame is intended to provide rigidity to the rear wall of the case and impact dissipation. Therefore, preferably the frame does not extend into the upstanding side walls. Also, preferably, part of the side wall portion is supported by the frame and part of the side wall portion is unsupported and extends beyond the frame to form the side walls.

The top and bottom of the frame are preferably wider than the entire central portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile phone case according to claim 10.

The present invention provides a two-part lens cover in which the parts can be slid over one another. This means that, in the open position, the width of the cover is less than the width of the aperture. This case can provide protection for a relatively large lens cluster without unduly increasing the bulk of the case. Preferably, the inner part of the cover is mounted to slide within slots formed within the rear wall. This provides a mounting structure for the inner part which is entirely contained between the inner part and the rear wall such that this does not unduly increase the thickness of the cover.

The slot may be formed partly through the rear wall. However, preferably, the slots are formed as through slots in the rear wall and an insert is fixed on the inside of the rear wall to cover the slots and prevent ingress of dirt into the cover through the slots. This insert is preferably sonically welded or otherwise fixed in place. This provides a simple way of forming the slots which cannot otherwise be formed without complex tooling.

The outer part of the cover is preferably mounted to slide within channels formed in the upstanding rib. It would be possible for both the inner and outer parts to slide within channels in upstanding rib. If just the outer part is mounted within such channels, while the inner part is mounted to slide within slots formed in the rear wall, this means that the upstanding rib only has to have sufficient depth to accommodate one channel thereby allowing the overall profile of the case to be reduced.

The inner face of the inner part preferably bears directly against the rear wall and the outer face of the outer part preferably bears directly against the inner part. This direct contact between the three parts maintains the low profile of the cover. Further, any dirt which has accumulated in the outside of the inner part or on the rear wall of the case in the recess will generally be wiped away from the aperture during the opening operation thereby providing enhanced protection against dirt.

The opposing faces of the inner and outer parts may be flat. However, preferably, one of the inner and outer parts is formed with at least one rib and the other or the inner and outer parts is formed with at least one complementary groove facing the at least one rib to maintain the parts in alignment as they are slid between the open and closed positions. This helps maintain alignment between the two cover parts during the opening and closing operations, thereby providing an easier sliding operation and reducing the possibility of the two parts becoming jammed in the recess.

The inner and outer parts are preferably snap fitted into the recess. This provides a simple assembly operation and removes the need for a complex mounting system. Preferably, in the open position, the outer part completely covers the inner part as this provides a better appearance in the open position. More preferably, the outer part is provided with an inwardly extending lip such that, in the closed position, the inner part is fully surrounded by the rear wall, the upstanding rib, and the outer part. This provides an even better appearance as the inner part cannot be seen in the open position.

Heavy duty mobile phone cases are often used together with a holster which has a clip allowing the holster to be attached, for example, to a belt. These are often difficult to use as the mechanism for inserting the case into the holster is complex and the phone can only be correctly inserted in a single orientation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combination of a mobile phone case and the holster according to claim 19.

With this arrangement, the case can simply be slid directly into the holster. Further, the engagement between the catches and the aperture allows the case to be securely retained within the holster. As the indents are formed at both ends of the case, the case can be inserted into the holster either way up. This makes it easier to use as the user does not have to make sure that the case is the right way up and can simple slide the case into the holster rather than bothering with a complex clamping operation.

Preferably, the case and holster are configured such that the case can be inserted in a third orientation. Thus, as well as being capable of being inserted either way up, the case can also be inserted the other way around. It is possible that it could be inserted the other way around and both ways up. However, with our current design, the degree to which the camera cover and housing projects means that this is not feasible. However, this could be the case if the camera cover mounting was not present.

The catches are preferably spring clips as this provides a simple structure which is easy to undo.

Examples of a mobile phone case and a combination of a mobile phone case and holster in accordance with various aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a rear perspective of a first case with the lens cover open;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective of the first case with the lens cover open;

Fig. 3 is an exploded version of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 is an exploded version of Fig.2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the frame;

Fig. 5A is a section through line B-B in Fig. 5 with the cover closed;

Fig. 5B is the same view as Fig. 5A but with the cover open;

Fig. 5C is a cross-section through line D-D in Fig.5;

Figs. 6 to 9 correspond to Figs. 1 to 4 showing a second the case which is in accordance with the first aspect of the invention but not the second;

Fig. 10 is front perspective view of the holster;

Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of the holster;

Fig. 12 is an exploded version of Fig. 10;

Figs. 13A to 13C are perspective views showing a combination of the second case and the holster in three different configurations;

Fig. 14A is a rear perspective of Fig. 13A in a different orientation;

Fig. 14B is a front perspective corresponding to Fig. 14A: and

Fig. 14C is a cross-section through the combination shown in Figs. 14A and 14B. The first example of the case is described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5.

The case 1 is formed of two main parts, namely a rigid frame 2 and a side wall portion 3. The frame 2 is moulded in plastic as a single piece. The requirement for a one piece rigid frame means that there is a single moulded piece which includes a peripheral rib 4 which extends to the corners of the rear wall and has a rear panel 5 as described below. However, further components may be inserted into this one piece rigid frame as described below.

The frame 2 is made from a harder material than the side wall portion 3. For example, the frame 2 may be a polycarbonate and the side wall portion 3 may be TPU. The requirement that the side wall portion is softer than the frame means that it has a lower hardness value when tested on the Shore A scale.

In general terms, the frame 2 is intended to provide a high level of rigidity to the case and good dissipation of impacts. In the present example it also provides a rigid structure to retain the lens cover. The side wall portion 3 provides a softer material providing impact adsorption in the side walls of the case. To provide further protection, the side wall portion 3 is optionally lined with an impact adsorption material such as TPE for the parts of the side wall which are away from the ports and buttons. The impact absorption layer is provided with inwardly projecting ribs 7 to further enhance impact protection. A number of buttons 8 to control the functionality of the phone are insertable into the side wall portion 3 in a manner which is well known in the art. The side wall portion 3 also has a plug 9 on a resilient flap 10 such that the plug 9 can be inserted into the power socket of the mobile phone in a manner known in the art.

The nature of the frame 2 will now be described in greater detail.

The frame 2 has the peripheral rib 4 extending around the periphery of the frame. In addition, an intermediate rib 11 extends laterally across the frame 2 to surround an aperture 12 and create a recess 13 as described below.

If the case did not have a lens cover, the intermediate rib 11 may be omitted. As best shown in Fig. 5 the frame 2 is wider at the top and bottom and narrower in the central portion. As a result of this, as best seen in Fig. 1 , the frame 2 extends close to the edge of the rear wall in its corners.

The side wall portion 3 is over-moulded onto of the frame to form the side wall and extend up to the peripheral rib 4. As can be seen in Fig. 1 , the side wall portion extends across a greater portion of the rear wall in the vicinity of the narrower central portion of the frame 2. The side wall portion 3 can be flush with, or extend slightly beyond the peripheral rib 4, such that, in the finished case, the peripheral rib 4 does not protrude from the side wall portion 3 thereby giving a smooth feel. As can be seen in Fig. 1 , in the central region, the side wall portion 3 extends across the rear wall to a greater degree, such that, in this region, the side wall portion has a more curved configuration than it does in the corners where the peripheral rib 4 is closer to the corner of the rear wall. This gives the case a smooth and ergonomic feel in the central region where the case will normally be gripped.

When a mobile phone is dropped, it almost always first lands of on one of its corners. When this happens, the impact in this region is initially absorbed partially by the side wall portion 3 and, if present, also by the impact absorbing layer 6. Additionally, because the peripheral rib 4 extends very close to these corner regions, the impact is also dissipated efficiently across the case. This combination of adsorption and dissipation thereby provide efficient impact protection in a case which is not unduly bulky and is comfortable to hold for the reasons set out above.

The lens cover and mechanism for mounting the lens cover will now be described.

The lens cover 20 comprises an inner part 21 and outer part 22 which are slidably mounted in the recess 13.

The inner part 21 is a flat plate which sits directly on a face 23 of the rear wall in the recess 13. The inner part 21 has a pair of lugs 24 having a trapezoidal cross-section as best shown in Fig. 4. These are configured to engage in through slots 25 in the rear wall. As shown in Fig. 3, these slots have an enlarged portion 27 at one end by which the lugs 24 are a snap fit into the slots 25. As can be seen in Fig. 5C, the slots 25 have a trapezoidal cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the lugs 24 such that this component is not straightforward to form as a single piece moulding. Therefore an insert 27 is attached, for example, by sonic wielding to the inner face of the frame 2 so as to cover the region comprising the slots 24. This ensures that there is no passage for dirt through the rear wall in the frame 2.

The outer part 22 has a flat inner face 28 which abuts directly against the inner part 21 as shown in Fig. 5B. A number of projections 29 are formed on the outer face for enhanced gripping. The recess 13 is provided with an upper groove 30 in an inner face of the peripheral rib 4 at the top of the frame. A lower groove 31 (see Figs. 4 and 5C) is formed in the inner face of the intermediate rib 11 , the outer part 22 is snap fitted into the two grooves 30, 31 such that it is free to slide across the recess 13 from the closed position shown in Fig. 5A to the open position shown in Fig. 5B.

The outer face of the inner part 21 is provided with a pair of ribs 32 which engage in corresponding grooves 33 in an inner face of the outer part 21 . These ensure that the inner 21 and outer 22 parts remain reliably aligned as the cover is open and closed.

As is apparent from Fig. 5, in the open position, the outer part 22 fully overlies the inner part 21 such that the cover 20 takes up less of the width of the case than is occupied by the aperture 12. The outer edge of the outer part 22 is provided with an inwardly extending lip 34 which, in the open position, means that the inner part 21 is fully surrounded by the surrounding components as shown in Fig. 5B. This provides a neat appearance in the open position. The outer part 22 may also have recesses on its upper and lower faces which interact with ribs in both ends of the grooves 30, 31 to hold the cover open or closed.

As can be seen in Fig. 5C, the rear panel 5 is significantly thinner than the frame 2 in the vicinity of the rib 4. This provides a lightweight construction while the rib 4 provides necessary rigidity. The thinness of the rear panel 5 also allows good transmission of power wirelessly into the rear of the mobile phone while it is still in the case. It also allows good transmissivity of the cellular signal through the rear wall. This can be enhanced by the pattern of grooves 35 on the inner face of the rear panel 5. Similar grooves 36 are provided on the inner face of the insert 27.

The side wall portion 3 is provided with a pair of indents 40 at opposite sides of the case towards the lower end of the case. A similar second pair of indents 41 are provided on the side wall at the same distance from the top of the case. The purpose of this is to engage with the holster 50 as described below.

However, before this is described, the second example of Figs. 6 to 9 will first be described.

In most respects, the second example is the same as the first example. The only difference is that it does not have the two part lens cover. Instead, it has a one part lens cover 20’ which is retained in upper 30 and lower 31 grooves as previously described. As slots 25 are not needed, the insert 27 is also not needed. This case is designed for a mobile phone with a narrower lens cluster such that there is adequate room for a single piece lens cover 20’ to be slid away from the aperture 12’.

This example is therefore in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, but not the second aspect.

The combination of the case 1 and holster 50 will now be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 14. This example illustrates the case of the second example. However, the case of the first example can also be used.

The holster 50 comprises a rear wall 51 and a pair of side walls 52 having a C-shaped cross-section forming, with the rear wall 51 , a channel into the holster. The side walls 52 have curved portions 53 at their lower ends to support the case 1 while leaving the lower face of the holster 50 open to allow access to the lower face of the case 1 . Channels 54 are formed in the inner face of the side walls 52 to allow space for the buttons 8 to slide into place.

A spring clip 55 is formed of an outer part 56 and an inner part 57 biased by a spring 58. This pivots about a pivot pin 59 and is attached to a rear wall of the holster 50. This attachment is made by a rotatable connection 60 which allows the clip 55 to be rotated with respect to the holster 50.

The pair of spring clips 61 with inwardly facing teeth 62 are formed at a lower part of the side walls 52. These engage with either the first indents 40 or the second indents 41 depending on the orientation of engagement. The different modes of engagement are shown in Figs. 13A to 13C. In all cases, the case 1 is slid into the holster 51 by movement in a single direction. In Fig. 13A, the case is slid in place with the lower end first and the open side of the case 1 facing outwardly. Fig. 13B shows the case slid in place with the opposite way up and the opposite way around. Fig.

13C shows the case the other way up from how it is shown in Fig. 13B. In all cases, the clips 61 engage with the lowermost indents 40. In the present example, the cover 20’ and its associated supports prevent the case from being inserted in the fourth orientation, but this could also be possible if the cover were not present, or if the holster 50 was made large enough to accommodate this.

As shown in Figs. 14A to 14C, as well as being used to attach the holster 50 to a belt or similar structure, the clip 55 rotated through 90° to be used as a kick-stand to support the mobile phone in landscape orientation.

Claims

1 . A mobile phone case comprising a main body comprising a rear wall and upstanding side walls defining a cavity for the mobile phone; a one piece rigid frame moulded from a first material forming a rear wall of the case, the frame being wider towards the top and bottom of the rear wall such that the top and bottom of the rear wall extend to the corners of the rear wall, and narrower in the central portion of the rear wall, an upstanding rib extending from the periphery of the rigid frame away from the cavity; a side wall portion over-moulded onto the frame from a second material softer than the first material to form the side walls, the side wall portion extending up to the upstanding rib of the frame such that the sidewall portion extends partially across the rear wall to the narrower central portion.

2. A mobile phone case according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the thinnest part of the rigid frame forming the rear wall away from the rib is less than half of the thickest part of the frame where the rib is present.

3. A mobile phone case according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, the frame comprises an opening for a camera on the mobile phone.

4. A mobile phone case according to claim 3, wherein the one piece frame further comprise an upstanding rib extending across the rigid frame to surround the aperture and form a recess for a lens cover.

5. A mobile phone case according to any preceding claim, wherein the side wall portion has a lining of an impact absorbing material.

6. A mobile phone case according to claim 5, wherein the impact absorbing material has inwardly projecting ribs for further impact protection.

7. A mobile phone case according to any preceding claim, wherein the one piece rigid frame does not extend into the upstanding side walls.

8. A mobile phone case according to any preceding claim, wherein part of the side wall portion is supported by the frame and part of the side wall portion is unsupported and extends beyond the frame to form the side walls.

9. A mobile phone case according to any preceding claim, wherein the top and bottom of the frame are wider than the entire central portion.

10. A mobile phone case comprising a main body comprising a rear wall and upstanding side walls defining a cavity for the mobile phone; an aperture in the rear wall aligned, in use, with a camera cluster on the mobile phone; an upstanding rib projecting from the rear wall away from the cavity, surrounding an aperture and extending substantially across the width of the case to define a recess; and a lens cover slidably mounted in the recess, the lens cover comprising an inner part and outer part slidable with respect to one another, both parts being mounted in the recess so as to slide across the recess to a closed position in which the outer part extends laterally beyond the inner part such that both parts cover the aperture, and an open position in which the inner part is on the opposite side of the recess from the aperture and the outer part at overlays the inner part to a greater extent than it did in the open position.

11. A mobile phone case according to claim 10, wherein the inner part of the cover is mounted to slide within slots formed within the rear wall.

12. A mobile phone case according to claim 11 , wherein the slots are formed as through slots in the rear wall and an insert is fixed on the inside of the rear wall to cover the slots and prevent ingress of dirt into the cover through the slots.

13. A mobile phone case according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the outer part of the cover is mounted to slide within channels formed in the upstanding rib.

14. A mobile phone case according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the inner face of the inner part bears directly against the rear wall and the outer face of the outer part bears directly against the inner part.

15. A mobile phone case according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein one of the inner and outer parts is formed with at least one rib and the other or the inner and outer parts is formed with at least one complimentary groove facing the at least one rib to maintain the parts in alignment as they are slid between the open and closed positions.

16. A mobile phone case according to any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the inner and outer parts are snap fitted into the recess.

17. A mobile phone case according to any of claims 10 to 16, wherein in the open position, the outer part completely covers the inner part as this provides a better appearance in the open position.

18. A mobile phone case according to claim 17, wherein the outer part is provided with an inwardly extending lip such that, in the closed position, the inner part is fully surrounded by the rear wall, the upstanding rib, and the outer part.

19. A combination of a mobile phone case and a holster, the mobile phone case comprising a main body comprising a rear wall and upstanding side walls defining a cavity for the mobile phone; a first pair of aligned indents formed in outer faces of the side walls towards one end of the case; and a second pair of aligned indents formed in the outer walls of the side walls towards the opposite end of the case; the holster comprising a rear wall to which an external fastener is attached on one side and an opposing pair of longitudinal retaining side walls extending from the opposite side, the side walls being configured to define a channel to receive the mobile phone case in at least two different orientations when the case is slid in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the upstanding side walls, the retaining side walls having a pair of aligned catches to selectively engage with either of the first or second pair of aligned indents depending on the orientation of the case when the case is fully inserted into the holster.

20. A combination according to claim 19, wherein the case and holster are configured such that the case can be inserted in a third orientation.

21 . A combination according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the catches are spring clips.